Efeito do peso de abate sobre a qualidade da carne em suínos.

Projeto: 03.10.01.016

Meat quality and cut yield of pigs slaughtered over 100kg live weight.

Meat quality and cut yield of pigs slaughtered between 100 and 150kg live weight were evaluated. Pigs (417 Agroceres PIC barrows and gilts) were fed a daily allowance of 2.8kg per head from 80kg until 100.71±0.85, 118.58±0.99, 134.07±1.18 or 143.90±1.24kg live weight. Seventy-one pigs were used for the evaluation of primal and subprimal cuts. There was no interaction between sex and slaughter weight for any of the evaluated parameters. Ham, shoulder, and loin weights linearly increased (P<0.01; R²: 84.3-93.2%) with increasing slaughter weight, which, however, had little effect on primal cuts meat yield. Increasing slaughter weight promoted a linear (P<0.05) and a quadratic (P<0.01) increase of red/green coordinate (a* value) of the loin and ham, respectively. Shear force showed a quadratic response (P<0.05), with minimum value estimated at 122kg slaughter weight. It was concluded that, under the applied management, increasing slaughter weight increased the volume of meat, but had little effect on meat yield. The meat of pigs slaughtered at heavier weights showed more intense red color and the same intramuscular fat content as lighter pigs, while tenderness was slightly affected. Foi avaliada a qualidade da carne e os cortes de suínos abatidos entre 100 e 145kg de peso vivo. Os suínos (417 machos castrados e fêmeas, linhagem Agroceres PIC) foram mantidos sob fornecimento programado de 2,8kg de ração por animal por dia a partir de 80kg até o abate aos: 100,71±0,85, 118,58±0,99, 134,07±1,18 ou 143,90±1,24kg de peso vivo. Destes, 71 suínos foram usados para avaliação dos cortes primários e secundários. Não foi observada interação entre sexo e peso de abate em nenhuma das variáveis avaliadas. Os pesos do pernil, da paleta e do carré aumentaram linearmente (P<0,01; R² entre 84,3 e 93,2%) com o peso de abate, com pouco efeito sobre o rendimento da carne. A coordenada vermelho/verde (valor de a*) aumentou linearmente (P<0,05) no lombo e de forma quadrática (P<0,01) no pernil com o aumento do peso de abate. A força de cisalhamento apresentou resposta quadrática (P<0,05), com redução até o valor mínimo estimado para os 122kg de peso vivo. Conclui-se que, com o manejo utilizado neste estudo, a elevação do peso de abate resulta em aumento na quantidade de carne produzida, com pouco efeito sobre o rendimento de carne. A carne de suínos abatidos em pesos elevados apresenta cor vermelha mais intensa e mesmo nível de gordura intramuscular que a carne de suínos mais leves, enquanto a maciez é alterada apenas de maneira discreta

Influence of harvesting time on composition of the essential oil of Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns. & Link. growing wild in northern Sicily and its activity on microorganisms affecting historical art crafts

One of the main factors affecting historical art crafts material is the biodeterioration performed by bacteria and fungi, in archives, museums or private collections. Several microorganisms cause degradation to the natural organic material such as fibers, woods, and dyes as well as to stone objects. These alterations produce deterioration of physical, chemical, mechanical and esthetic properties. Consequently, in this publication, we report the high antibacterial and antifungal activities of wild thyme essential oil, oil that can be used as an alternative natural tool in the fight against microorganisms affecting historical art crafts. Essential oil of the Thymus capitatus growing wild in northern Sicily has been extracted by hydrodistillation from aerial parts collected at different growth times. The constituents of the essential oil have been characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry. Fifty-five compounds have been identified. Essential oils were characterized by a high content of carvacrol (81.2–14.2%), γ-terpinene (34.4–2.6%) and p-cymene (22.8–5.0%) of the total oil content. Essential oil yield and composition vary throughout the vegetation time of the plant. The best time to harvest this species of thyme, for phenol content, is during or immediately before the full bloom. The related oils (Tc2 and Tc3) showed a good antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus epidermidis and excellent antifungal properties against Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger

Growth, essential oil characterization and biological activity of three wild biotypes of oregano collected in the Campania region (southern Italy)

The aim of this research was the study “ex situ” of growth, essential oil yield and antimicrobial activity of three wild white-flowered biotypes of Origanum vulgare L. collected at different sites in the Campania Region (Southern Italy) to evaluate the behaviour under cropping conditions and the potential for use in multiple sectors. The biotypes showed differences in both height and width of vegetation and this influenced the PAR absorbance and the biomass production. Oil amount was found to be influenced by the stage of plant growth and reached the maximum value at full bloom. The values were higher for oregano from “Sicignano” that belongs to O. vulgare ssp. virens in respect to the biotypes “Acerno” and “Ricigliano” (O. vulgare ssp. viridulum) despite the oregano from “Ricigliano” having presented some intermediate characteristics. Oils obtained by hydrodistillation were studied by GC and GC–MS and showed differences in the chemical composition. Carvacrol and its derivatives were the major constituents of the oils from “Sicignano” while the oil from “Ricigliano” was characterized by high amount of thymol. The oil from “Acerno” showed the lowest content of phenols. The antibacterial activity was mainly linked to phenolic constituents as carvacrol which was present in high concentrations in the oils from “Sicignano”. For this reason this biotype could be used as preservatives and for pharmaceutical use

Growth essential oil characterization, and antimicrobial activity of three wild biotypes of oregano under cultivation condition in Southern Italy

The aim of this research was the study "ex situ" of growth, essential oil yield and antimicrobial activity of three wild white-flowered biotypes of Origanum vulgare L. collected at different sites in the Campania Region (Southern Italy) to evaluate the behaviour under cropping conditions and the potential for use in multiple sectors.The biotypes showed differences in both height and width of vegetation and this influenced the PAR absorbance and the biomass production. Oil amount was found to be influenced by the stage of plant growth and reached the maximum value at full bloom. The values were higher for oregano from "Sicignano" that belongs to O. vulgare ssp. virens in respect to the biotypes "Acerno" and "Ricigliano" (. O. vulgare ssp. viridulum) despite the oregano from "Ricigliano" having presented some intermediate characteristics. Oils obtained by hydrodistillation were studied by GC and GC-MS and showed differences in the chemical composition. Carvacrol and its derivatives were the major constituents of the oils from "Sicignano" while the oil from "Ricigliano" was characterized by high amount of thymol. The oil from "Acerno" showed the lowest content of phenols. The antibacterial activity was mainly linked to phenolic constituents as carvacrol which was present in high concentrations in the oils from "Sicignano" For this reason this biotype could be used as preservatives and for pharmaceutical uses

Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of anethole-rich oil from leaves of selected varieties of fennel [Foeniculum vulgare Mill. ssp. vulgare var. azoricum (Mill.) Thell]

The paper reports the chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oils obtained from the leaves of two cultivars of Florence fennel cropped under three different fertilization treatments (Control not fertilized; Mineral Fertilization; Compost from Municipal Solid Wastes). All the oils were characterized by high anethole concentration and some showed also a good percentage of limonene. The antimicrobial activity expressed by assays on the examined oils indicates an appreciable effect generally higher on Gram-positive bacteria. The various samples of Florence fennel analyzed did not show any results with FRAP test. The DPPH test showed a weak capacity of the samples to catch the free radical from the solution attributable to their content in anethole

Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oil from Artemisia herba-alba growing wild in Tunisia

Aromatic plants can interfere in the Mediterranean ecosystem, mainly by the introduction in the environment of volatile compounds. For this reason, we studied the chemical composition and the possible phytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil extracted from leaves of Tunisian Artemisia herba-alba Asso. The chemical composition of the essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. In all, 24 compounds were identified. The main components were camphor (39.1.%), chrysanthenone (15.0%) and cis-thujone (7.8%). The essential oil was evaluated for its in vitro phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radical growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., Sinapis arvensis L., Triticum durum L. and Phalaris canariensis L. seeds. The radicle elongation of the five seeds was affected to different extents by the oil, while germination was not affected. The oil, when tested against eight selected bacterial strains, showed low antimicrobial activity. The chemical composition of the oil of A. herba-alba can help in the chemosystematics of this complex genus. However, the recorded biological activities seem to be neither ecologically nor medicinally significant

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Essential Oils from Two Pereskia Species Grown in Brazil

The chemical composition of the essential oils of Pereskia aculeata Mill. and P. grandifolia Haw. (Cactaceae), grown in Brazil, was studied by means of GC and GC-MS. In all, 37 compounds were identified, 30 for P. aculeata and 15 for P. grandifolia. Oxygenated diterpenes are the main constituents, both in the oil of P. grandifolia (55.5%) and in that of P. aculeata (29.4%). The essential oils were evaluated for their in vitro phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radicle growth of Raphanus sativus L., Sinapis arvensis L., and Phalaris canariensis L. seeds. The essential oil of P. grandifolia, at all doses tested, significantly inhibited the radicle elongation of R. sativus. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was assayed against ten bacterial strains. The essential oils showed weak inhibitory activity against the Gram-positive pathogen